


Crystal Stars

by ThornedDream



Category: Incarceron Series - Catherine Fisher
Genre: Christmas gift, Cinderella crossover, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-21
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-10 19:38:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8934400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThornedDream/pseuds/ThornedDream
Summary: Finn can't remember his life beyond the past three years, but according to Lady Sia and her son Caspar, he was sold into servitude many years ago. If the documents are there, then it must be true, right? But things are stirred when a royal invitation to a ball at the palace arrives to the Harvaarna estate, and a deal is then struck between Sia and Finn: if he can complete his chores and gather suitable clothes in time for the celebration, then he may go.





	1. Chapter 1

It always began around five o’clock, early in the morning when the sun had yet to begin its daily greeting to the land.

Finn would rise from his stiff bed made of feathers and straw, flattened from years of usage. He would stretch his back and arms to alleviate the aches, then dress into his stained blouse and trousers. To finish he would tug his worn down boots onto his small feet, then carefully tie a once-white apron around his lithe waist. After dressing, he would run calloused fingers through his brown waves of hair as some attempt to brush it out neater, then tie it back into a convenient ponytail. He would then take a glance at himself in the dull and shattered mirror of his bedroom. There was once a time when he would solemnly smile at himself; some kind of comfort or reassurance that things would get better, but these days were over. Now he would only sigh at his reflection before setting off to do his chores.

The house he lived in and served was the Havaarna estate, a large mansion in the wealthiest district of the kingdom. The ceilings were tall and the walls were cold. There was plenty of room for finery and decor, and absolutely no room for sentiment. 

How he came to be in such a house, he could not recall. He had been told that he had served this family his entire life. Apparently, during one day of work, he was standing upon a ladder to dust off the curtain rods above a glass window, and he had slipped and hit his head, causing him to fall into a concussion. This fall also caused him to lose all memories of his years before. It made perfect sense, since he could no longer remember anything before fourteen years of age, and he had been shown paper documents stating that he was owned and bounded by servitude to the estate owner. But regardless of the cause, he was here, and he was destined to serve until he was no longer indentured.

Remembering this was always certain to leave a bitter taste in his mouth and a queasy feeling in his stomach.

He began his work by sweeping the floors, since this was the easiest chore to do. It served a smooth transition from waking up to starting work. Besides, he couldn’t move on to scrubbing the floors until they were swept anyways. By the time all the wooden panels and stone tiles of the estate were thoroughly swept, the family of the home typically roused awake, and this was when his first direct orders were tossed upon him.

“Finn!” the voice of Caspar, Earl of Steen, shouted to him from the halls of the upper floors. “Draw me a hot bath! I want some fruits served with it too!”

If Finn had more courage, he would groan with protest loud enough for the whole world to hear him. But he only sighed with heaving shoulders, and he shut his tired dark eyes to hide how he rolled them.

Caspar was still young- only fifteen years of age- and his whiny voice showed it. Oh, how Finn deplored that shrieking brat’s voice, and he hated how Caspar spoke to him like an incompetent fool. He would never say this, though. If he did, young Caspar would throw a fit so grand that no amount of pastries or mommy kisses could cease it.

After he had finished pouring buckets of hot water into Caspar’s tub, and he had gathered a tray of extravagantly arrayed fruits to serve, he heard a bell ringing from the master bedchamber of the house. Finn anxiously bit his lip, knowing that the bell signaled a need for his presence. He rushed to serve the tray of fruits to the bathing Caspar, then made his way to the bedchamber. There, when he opened the door, he saw Sia: the Lady and owner of the estate. 

She was seated comfortably in her grand bed, petting the small curly white dog at her side. Her pale blue gaze followed him as he made his way into the room, and the sun shown brightly on her ivory white skin. She gestured for him to come closer with fingers complete with long nails painted the same scarlet color of her hair.

“Come closer, my dear.”

Finn obeyed with his head down, too nervous to continue watching her. He stood at the side of the bed with his arms at his sides. There was an eerie aura around the lady of the house that bothered Finn more than any of Caspar’s loud shrieks could. Sia was silent, but her words were loud with intent and cunning.

“How’s my son? Has he awoken yet?” Sia hugged her dog closer and kissed its head with thin lips.

Finn nodded his head, now bringing his hands together to anxiously hold them in a shifting grasp. “Yes, m’lady. He had me draw a bath for him.”

Sia smiled and let out a small, chilling smile. “So that was what his fussing was about. He is such a demanding one, that Caspar. Isn't he?”

Finn fought to not gulp his anxiety down, fearing that Sia might hear and take offense. He knew he had to choose his words carefully at moments like this. She was manipulative, and ignorantly playing along with her game was certain of a cruel reprimanding. This was why he deplored being ordered by her more than her son. There were no tricks in Caspar's words. 

“No, m’lady. I wouldn’t say that.” 

Before he could elaborate more, he felt Sia’s frustrated eyes on him. She reached a hand forward, then patted a round cheek of his. The tips of her long red nails were like claws against his skin. “It’s okay, darling. You need not pretend.” Although she said this, Finn knew he had made the right choice disagreeing with her. “Now, could you be a good boy and go to the kitchen to make me a lamb pie?”

He obediently nodded his head, then swiftly turned to finally escape the room.

The rest of the day continued as any other: juggling “Finn I want”s and “Finn I need”s between his standard chores. It was a laborious loop which he had grown grimly tired of, and as some attempt to pass the time and provide entertainment, it was common for him to sing along in rhythm of his movements.

On this particular day, while he was kneeled on the floors and scrubbing a wet cloth in circles, his voice swelled in a beautiful tenor. “No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true…”

His song was quickly interrupted, however, when he heard footsteps approaching beside him. There was a mocking laugh in the air before he heard, “is that nonsense truly what you believe, Finn?”

He turned and saw Caspar looming over him, a sly smirk spread across his freckled face. Finn’s eyebrows lowered as he shifted into an upright position and clawed his fingers into the washcloth. He waited for a few long moments, then finally brought up the courage to answer, “yes. It is.”

His stern gaze remained unwavering as Caspar erupted into more laughter, then wiped a tear from an emerald eye of his. “Oh, Finn! I always knew you were ignorant, but this is entirely new.”

Finn clenched his teeth with a rising anger, and he resisted all his urge to take his washcloth and slap it into that laughing brat’s miserable face. Instead, his short dirty nails dug deeper into the fabric.

Caspar’s keen eyes picked up on Finn's composed rage, and his hands were now on his hips. “Well then, let me help you wash so you can get started on your dreams faster.” With that, Caspar's foot then kicked the wooden pail of soapy water aside, causing the water to pour out across the floor.

Finn's jaw hung open in a silent gasp, and Caspar strolled away with his head casted upward in cocky satisfaction. In a quick hurry Finn rushed forward to wipe up the water before it was soaked into the wood panels of the floor. Unfortunately, the problem was added to by Finn’s new mess of running tears down his face. He sobbed as the washcloth soon became too wet to absorb any more of the spilled water, and so he untied his apron around his waist and used that to wipe up any remains of the massive puddle.

When he was finished, he then heard a loud knock upon the front door.

“Answer the door, Finn!” Caspar called.

Finn had to bite down on his tongue until he tasted blood in order to suppress his upwelling screams.

In a rush he stood from the floor, violently tossed his soaked apron and washcloth into the now empty pail, then made his way to the front entrance. He made sure to wipe his eyes before opening the doors. When he did so, he said in an exhausted voice, “what business brings you to the Havaarna estate this day, and how may I assist you, good sir?” It was a greeting which he had memorized long ago.

The individual who stood at the door was a plump gentleman who reeked of noxious perfumes. He had a large round nose, and he wore a tacky suit of stunning white silk. “Good evening,” he said with a polite bow. It was more courtesy than Finn had been given in many months. “I am Lord Evian, esteemed ambassador to the royal family. I was sent here to deliver this.”

After his explanation, he handed a small envelope to Finn. It was light blue and decorated with white ribbons and a red seal. “See to it that the family receives this message, please.”

Finn smiled with appreciation, then held the envelope closer to himself. “Thank you.” He spoke now in a softer voice. “I’ll have it brought to the master immediately.”

Lord Evian bowed once more, then returned to his carriage, likely to be carried off to the next noble estate.

Finn closed the doors, then turned and was shocked to see Lady Sia standing next to him. Apparently she had no interest in waiting to see what the envelope contained.

“Give that here,” she said while taking the envelope into her pale grasp. Her red claws worked at tearing it open as she said, “never once has a royal ambassador been sent here. This must be very important.” Her son watched with anticipation as he stood beside her. Finn took a few steps back, wanting to maintain as much distance as he could between them and himself.

Sia finally opened the envelope, then gasped when she read the paper contents inside. “Caspar! We've been invited to a royal ball!”

Caspar’s eyes flew open wide at this news, and he grasped onto his mother’s arms to pull her closer and read the letter himself.

Sia squealed more with delight like a pig. “It’s the princess’s sixteenth birthday, oh my! And we’ve been invited to her formal celebration tomorrow evening! Oh, how exciting!”

Finn’s own mind began to wander, thinking of what it would be like to attend a ball. The waltzing, the exquisite food, the beverages, the pleasant conversations, the music- it all seemed so wonderful. Suddenly, before he could stop himself, he dreamily asked out loud, “I wonder what it would be like if I were to attend?”

Regret instantly began sinking in him. Why did he ask such a foolish question? Of course that were to never happen! He was nothing but an indentured servant. Why would he be permitted to go? He gulped, suddenly fearing the punishment he would now face.

But there came none. Instead, Sia slowly turned to see Finn, her face blank of any emotion. Caspar scoffed, then opened his mouth to speak, but her hand soon covered it before he could say any words.

“So,” a wide grin stretched across her red lips, “you believe you deserve to go?”

He never declared such a statement, but he was suddenly too scared to argue. He only chewed on his lip.

“Very well. You may entertain me with the idea, darling. What would you wear to such an event?” 

She tried her best to sound sincere, but Finn could hear the cynical amusement. Still, he was surprised to know she was considering the concept, even in a rhetorical sense.

“I… I, uh,” he rubbed his arm, anxious from feeling the weight of her judgement, “I am certain I could find something. I have been saving coin which I could spend on fabrics, and I am capable of sewing.”

Sia thoughtfully puffed her lips in an angle as she listened, then proceeded to ask, “very well. And how would you get there, sweet?”

His gaze shifted from Sia, to the glaring Caspar who had his arms crossed over his chest, back to Sia again. “I suppose I would ride with you in your carriage…”

He feared that Sia would become outraged from this proposal. For a servant to impose himself into his master’s presence was horrifically improper. But once again, Sia continued to surprise him.

She smiled, then brushed her hand through the air as a gesture of approval. “Alright, Finn. You seem to have this all thought out. If you do not fail to complete every one of your chores and also gather everything you require for the ball, then I shall permit you to attend with us.”

This, of course, was far from what Caspar expected. He gasped in horror up at his mother, then asked, “really?!”

“Yes, really,” she answered to her son, then took his arm and led him away. “Now come with me. We must select something for you to wear tomorrow evening.”

Finn couldn't help but smile to himself when he heard Caspar let out a whine of protest.

Of course, Finn understood that Sia wasn’t entirely serious when she gave her admittance. It was a challenge, daring him to even attempt joining such a socially elite celebration. His efforts would amount to little more than comical entertainment to her, but he didn't care. He would complete her challenge, and he would make her face her word.

He now fully intended to go to the ball.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Finn rose earlier than usual to begin his day. He had resolved to work hard in order to complete any chores he could before the lady of the house and her son awoke to begin piling him with new tasks. He had managed to feed the livestock, sweep and wash the floors, and dust the furniture, before he heard Caspar’s first order:

“Finn, I want new sheets!”

As he went to go retrieve some new sheets for the boy’s bed, he was summoned by Sia in the living room.

“Finn, may you please get some truffles for me?”

After he had set the new sheets on Caspar’s bed and went to serve Sia’s truffles, he heard Caspar about once more. “Finn, I need you scrub this stain!”

He followed Caspar’s shout to the West Hall, and there he worked hard to remove the red stain from a tapestry beside the window. Caspar watched, amused, as he held a glass of red wine in his hand.

Immediately when he finished, Sia summoned for him once again. “Can you be a darling and go fetch my slippers from my chamber for me?”

As he made his way to the upper floors towards Sia’s room, Caspar ordered, “Finn, I need you to clean the cinders from my fireplace and start a new fire. My chamber is deathly cold!”

After Finn delivered Sia’s warm slippers to her, he obediently went to Caspar's chamber.

He crouched down with a grunt before the fireplace to begin sweeping out the ashes. While he worked diligently, Caspar approached behind him and kicked his rear, sending him face-first into the soot and ash. The small brat roared with devious laughter as Finn gasped and uselessly tried wiping the cinders away, only to be rewarded with massive black smears across his tan face.

“Look at you, haha! All filthy and gross like the scum you are!” Caspar cried between laughs.

Finn glared with a fury in his eyes as he opened his mouth to scream, “why you little-!”

But Caspar would have none of it. He smirked while proudly placing his hands on his hips. “Now, now. Hush. What are you doing sitting there like a bum? You have work to do!”

Finn sneered as tears began to burn in the corners of his eyes. He craved nothing more than to pounce on Caspar at that moment and send his fists flying onto that miserable freckled face, but he knew Caspar was right; he did have work to do, and if he wanted to finish in time for the ball, he would have to keep to his tasks. So Finn sighed and turned once again to continue cleaning out the ashes. He finished, then collected some logs from the back of the house and set them aflame in Caspar’s fireplace. When all was done, he turned and left once more with a hateful stare towards Caspar, then slammed the door behind him.

The rest of his chores went quickly as anger pulsed deep in his veins. It fueled his strength and determination, and with great speed his list of tasks began to dwindle down smaller and smaller. He did not even stop to wash the soot from his face- that would be done later, when his success was definite. Chore after chore was completed, and soon, Caspar and Sia could not help but notice how very close his victory was becoming.

Caspar entered the living room to approach his mother. With an edge of concern to his voice, he asked, “Mother? What are we going to do? Finn is almost done. We can’t let that pig join us at the ball- we’ll be ruined!”

Sia turned and stroked her small chin with her long, scarlet nails. She thought for a few moments, then turned to face her son. “You shouldn’t worry so much, sweet. I said he may join if he finished his tasks, did I not?”

“Well, yes, but haven’t you seen, Mother? He’s nearly done with his chores.”

“Oh, is he? I wouldn't be so sure of that.”

Sia then rose from the sofa and walked with her chin confidently raised and a smirk across her lips. She strolled to the guest chamber of the home with Caspar following close behind her. He was excited to see what his mother had planned, but as she entered the room, she closed the door behind herself, shutting Caspar out. There, in that room, she saw Finn spreading some newly washed sheets across the mattress and fluffing up some pillows.

“Finn, darling,” she spoke as she approached him. Her voice was glazed with fake charm and fondness. “I see you are nearly finished with your chores?’”

“Yes, Madam,” he answered. “I’ll have just enough time to arrange something to wear.”

“Oh, excellent!” she cheered. “I am thrilled to hear such good news. Why, my heart is racing just by thinking of how exciting the night will be for us all.”

While she said these words, her hand clutched onto her chest, right over her heart. With a squeeze of her clawed fingers, the long string holding her pearl necklace snapped, and all the round white beads flew onto the floor.

“Oh dear!” Sia cried. “My necklace! I was going to wear it to the ball tonight!”

Finn’s brown eyes were flown open wide, immediately realizing what task may possibly lay before him. He was now desperate to avoid it. “P-perhaps there is another one you may wear tonight instead? One just as lovely?”

“No, I must wear that one.” With a turn of her pale blue gaze to meet Finn, she continued. “You must collect the beads and string them together again. I need that necklace for tonight.”

Finn anxiously gripped onto the end of his apron as he pathetically stammered, “o-oh, but M-Madam I-”

“All 500 of them.”

Finn took a sharp breath in from his nose, then lowered his head before giving a small nod of submission.

“Good. You’re such a sweet boy, Finn. I do hope you’ll still have time to join us. It would be a pity to not have your dear company this evening.” Sia smirked, then turned to leave Finn in his stunned horror.

Once the door clicked shut, the gates holding back his tears flooded, and soon his face was a soggy mess. He immediately fell onto his hands and knees, trying desperately to collect any pearls he could see through his clouded vision. Hiccuped sobs bounced painfully in his throat as his fists fumbled with the small beads, and soon he relinquished his hold on the few he had obtained to mask his face with his hands. His sobs grew louder as he rested his head onto the floor below him.

There seemed to be no way he could attend the ball now- not with this holding him back: 500 shiny white beads to be found on a shiny white floor and strung back together. Defeat was now so certain. He whimpered between cries and clawed at his dirty streaked face.

After he had exhausted himself from his cries, he finally took in a deep breath, and for the first time in minutes, he rose his vision from the ground. When his agony had begun to die, it was replaced with rage- more rage than he had ever felt. All the years of being kicked, slapped, shoved, and ordered around- it all came over him into this one moment, and he was ready to smite every second of it. 

He would do the undoable, and he would attend the ball, all against Caspar and Sia’s wishes.

Suddenly his hands were a flying flurry of speed, collecting beads right and left and forwards and backwards. His pockets and socks and shirt and apron and fists became flooded with white pearl beads. Hours passed, and once the sun had begun to sink and he had collected all he could possibly see, he sat upon the guest bed and began counting.

“-497, 498, 499…”

He stopped counting. There were only 499. He was missing only one pearl bead. He frantically looked around, searching the room for the one stray bead. He returned once again onto his hands and knees and crawled. He looked everywhere- under the bed, desk, tables, chairs- and still could find no bead. Then he turned his search under the wardrobe, and there, under the dark wood, he saw a pale white glistening light. He gasped with a grin on his face, then reached under to grab it. His arm was slender, but not slender enough to squeeze between the wardrobe and the floor. The piece of furniture shook as he shoved it upwards to reach the bead. Determination showed through glistening sweat on his brow.

And it was rewarded with the capture of the last white pearl bead. 

“Aha!” He cheered loudly as he slid his arm out to admire his prize. As he did so, the wardrobe dropped with a “thump!” and its doors flew open. Finn rose onto his feet to close it, but paused when he saw an unusual sight: there were clothes in this wardrobe- the guest bedroom wardrobe.

If this were a guest bedroom, shouldn’t the wardrobe be empty?

Finn raised a dark eyebrow and curiously tilted his head, then reached his hand forward to slide his fingers across the bright fabrics. One particular color caught his eye: a bright yellow silk. He seized the object of cloth and brought it close to himself, then gasped at what he saw.

It was a charming yellow suit of fine fabrics and eloquent detail. He held it over his body and was both confused and amazed how it seemed to fit him perfectly. How could this be so? He didn’t spend much more time wondering this, however. He still had tasks to complete. He rushed to his room and threw the rich yellow suit onto his tiny bed, then seized some string from a drawer of his. He hurried back to the guest room, then begun stringing the pearls back together. It took him a bit longer than he had hoped, but when he was finished, he was still greatly satisfied with himself. He held the beads in the air to admire them, then wandered to Sia’s chamber. He knocked on the door, then entered the cold darkness of her room.

She was seated at her grand vanity, applying a ridiculous amount of makeup onto her face. Flawless shades of white and red masked her complexion, and her true facial figure was almost completely hidden. When she saw Finn enter her reflection, she turned to look at the boy with wide eyes.

“Finn, dear, what are you doing? Shouldn’t you be collecting my pearls?”

Finn said nothing and conveyed no sentiment upon his face as he held the beads up for Sia to see. She gasped, and he then threw the nuisance of a necklace onto her vanity.

As he turned to leave, he heard her say, “I do pray you still have time to assemble an outfit, darling. We leave in only twenty minutes.”

Finn couldn’t help but smirk. Oh, she had no idea.

He then returned to his room and sighed with relief from having no more chores to do. He stripped off his grimy clothes and set off to wash his face and neck and arms. The cool water was wonderfully refreshing against his sweaty skin. He smiled so happily to himself. Once he had finished cleaning himself off, he wandered across the room to retrieve his suit. He grinned at its beauty, then immediately began dressing into it. Never once did he have any trouble with the sizing, as though it were tailored to fit him perfectly. When he finished, he brushed his hair back into a new and neater ponytail, then gazed at himself in his mirror. He looked like true nobility, and the sight brought warmth and happiness to his chest. He grinned, then buckled on the matching pair of expensive shoes and left to join Caspar and Sia.

By the time he entered the living room, the mother and her son were already dressed and leaving the home. He stopped them mid-way through the entrance by shouting, “wait! Wait for me! I’m ready!”

Sia turned, then gasped at what she saw. From his mother’s reaction, Caspar curiously turned as well, and he gasped shortly after.

Finn spread his arms to grandly present the silken yellow ensemble upon his form, and he hummed ever so happily.

Caspar and Sia, however, seemed far from pleased with the sight. Finn observed their stricken faces, as though they had seen a ghost risen from the dead.

“Well, what do you think? Rich enough to attend a ball in?”

Sia’s face then turned grim, and she stepped closer with an anger in her gaze. “Well, yes, indeed. However…”

“‘However’?”

Sia was now circling Finn like a vulture, observing the outfit with disgust. “These are, I’m afraid, not your clothes. Are they?”

Finn’s arms dropped, and he then let out one small, nervous laugh. “S-surely they don’t belong to anyone else, do they? There’s no one else here they could possibly fit.”

Sia's stare turned to her kin, and she then cleverly said, “no, but I had them made for my son. They are for him to wear in the future- to grow into. These are your clothes, are they not, Caspar?”

Caspar stared dumbly ahead, then finally spoke. “U-uh… um, yes! Yeah, that's right! They’re mine! What are you doing, wearing my clothes? You little thief!”

He then furiously stormed ahead towards Finn, and with an angry shout he took fistfuls of the yellow coat and tugged it off of his torso. It came off with a loud “riiiiip!” and the fine white cravat came quickly afterwards. Finn hollered and screamed with panic as his beloved suit was torn to shreds, and Sia watched with a self-satisfied smile. Her son finished his work, leaving Finn in nothing more than ripped up clothes that hung limply off his body.

The once-beautiful suit was no more.

Caspar spat and stomped onto the rags sprawled on the floor, then turned towards the front entrance. He chuckled deviously as his mother joined him to leave, and before she closed the doors, she happily cooed in sing-song, “have a good night, my dear Finn.”

He stood, broken, shattered, and speechless, in the pile of torn yellow fabrics at his feet.


	3. Chapter 3

The crisp layer of ice and frost upon the ground did not stop Finn as he ran through the back doors and into the blue and white gardens. He wanted to be as far as possible from the building which bound him to servitude and misery, even if that meant standing in the snow.

He wrapped the brown fleece blanket from his bed around his shoulders and chose to sat on the marble bench placed in the far back of the yard. He shivered and hissed miserably with his head down, watching how the shoes on his feet disappeared under the snowy white blanket upon the muddy soil.

How did he get into this? What did he do to deserve this? Is this how the rest of his life would be?

He shut his eyes, not wanting to think of such a terrible fate.

He didn’t want to think about rising early before the break of day for the rest of his life, or scrubbing down and cleaning the house for endless hours. He didn’t want to think about working in the garden in the cold air and having his sore feet crunch and stomp through the frosty ground…

Wait, those weren’t his own steps he was hearing.

Finn turned, and there on the other side of the short cobblestone wall behind him, he saw a head with a white mess of wispy long hair. It bobbed as the individual walked onward, and it stopped when Finn asked, “Who are you? How did you get onto this property?”

From over the cobblestone wall peered an old man with a short hunched stature and squinted green eyes. He curiously raised a messy grey eyebrow when he saw Finn, and he grumbled through his white beard, “My, I must be far off course if I am this close to residences.”

“Off course?” Finn asked for more clarification. “You mean you’re lost?”

“Well, yes,” the old man said. “I am afraid so.’”

“Where are you going? I might be able to direct you.”

The man stroked his beard as he looked around. “I’m going- I’m heading towards… Huh, that’s strange. I can’t say I remember.”

Finn frowned as he thought for a brief moment. “If you don’t know where you’re going, then can you truly say you’re lost?”

To this, the man looked at him once again, and a wide grin spread across his lips. “Ah, you’re more clever than you appear.”

Finn blinked, and in that instant the man had vanished from behind the wall.

“Still, you do seem to be quite bewildered. I see it in your eyes.”

The voice behind Finn made him jump with fright, and he turned around to see the old man standing inside the yard rather than outside. He gasped at the sight, but before he could ask how the man teleported such a distance, the elder continued speaking.

“You are somewhere you are not happy to be, and you don’t know how you came to be in such a place, or where you should go. You carry a lost spirit and an aching soul.”

Finn solemnly shut his gaping mouth, then lowered his head. “Is it that easy to see?”

“Yes, it is. So tell me: What troubles you, boy?”

Finn shifted on the marble bench, considering if he should tell the old man his wish. “I’ve been pretty miserable these past few years as a servant, and I wanted to go to the ball tonight, but…-”

“An indentured servant going to a ball? That sounds absolutely ridiculous.”

Finn bit his lip for a moment to hold back his hurt, then he shook his head and said, “No, you don’t understand. My mistress made a deal with me as a joke. She didn’t think I would actually win, but I did, so I should have been able to go.”

“You were a fool to believe she would keep her word.”

Finn lowered his head, then brought up his blanket higher onto his chin. “Maybe you’re right. She sent her son to tear up my suit, and they left without me.”

An unsatisfied gruff came from the man. “You’re letting that stop you? Why don’t you go anyways?”

“Because my mistress would never allow it.”

“I see no chain around your neck.”

“I have no way to get there.”

“No transportation is as reliable as your own two feet.”

“I have no proper clothes to wear.”

“Who cares how you look so long as you’re having fun?”

“I have no invitation of my own.”

“That… does stand as a problem.”

The man ran his aged fingers through his white mess of a beard as he paced the snowy garden back and forth in front of the shivering young brunette, and finally he stopped and said, “Alright, fine. I will help you, fool boy, but only if you help me.”

Finn questioningly raised a brow. “Well, what would you need help with?”

“I am trained in ancient arts of magic from my ancestors. I will cast a spell that will give you everything you need to go to this seemingly important ball, but I need a piece of each ingredient I must use to keep for myself.”

Finn seemed entirely confused from the explanation, and so the old man huffed out a tired breath of air. He pulled out a wooden wand carved in elegant twists from the mess of a pack on his hunched back. “Go get me a white pumpkin,” he ordered.

Finn blinked, stood, then rushed across the garden towards the crops by the stables. There he found a perfectly round white pumpkin, and he wrapped his blanket around it before heaving it up into his arms and carrying it back to the man. He placed it down upon the ground with a hollow “thump” and let out a breath of air. He looked at the older man expectantly. “What now?”

A satisfied smile appeared beneath his white beard as the man nodded. “This will do very nicely.” He then bent down and sliced off the long twisted grey stem from the pumpkin before shoving the reward into the pocket of his messy coat. “That will be mine to keep for future spells, and now...”

Finn watched as the man took a few steps back from the stem-less pumpkin. Finn anxiously did the same, unsure of what would happen next. The older man raised his twisted wooden wand, and with a few chants of unintelligible mumbles, the pumpkin began growing.

It grew and grew until Finn began to wonder if he hadn’t fallen asleep and was currently in a fantastical dream. It grew larger than himself, larger than a horse, and soon it was the size of a coach. Just as that comparison came to his head, a clean porcelain-like sheen appeared as a coat on the pumpkin, and silver ovals were traced into the sides as doors, complete with silver wheels shaped from vines.

Finn stared with wide eyes and his jaw hanging open. “It’s- it’s…”

“I hope this will serve as a suitable coach.”

Finn turned and gazed with amazement at the magical older man. “It’s beautiful! Thank you, thank you!”

The man smiled and bowed his head from the display of appreciation, then gave his next order: “Go find me four rats.”

Finn paused and stuttered the new order over again with evident confusion. “G-go… go find four rats? Why do you need rats?”

“You’ll see. Just go find some rats- or mice. Either will do. Make sure they’re living.”

Finn waited for a few moments, then took a glance to the pearly white and silver coach before he decided to obey. He never expected a pumpkin to turn into a coach, so what would four rats potentially become?

He turned and quickly rushed into the estate, searching the rooms high and low for any sign of rodents. He checked the sacks of flour and sugar in the kitchen, but no living thing was found there. Then he looked between some loose stones in the cellar wall, and discovered two rats. He quickly seized them and shoved them into the warmth of his wool blanket, whispering, “Sorry,” under their squeals. He rose back onto his feet, then set off to continue his search. He found one more rat in a hole behind the grandfather clock, and another in the hay of the stables. Whispering the same apologies, he tossed them each into the blanket until he finally had four in total.

He hurried back to the old man, then presented the bundled up blanket to him. “Here, sir. Four rats, like you asked.”

“Very good.” He then took the blanket into his old, shaking hands, and he pushed one rat out from under the sheet. He took his knife, then skillfully ran it under the rat’s paw in a few quick swipes.

Finn gasped, suddenly scared for the small creature. “You’re not hurting him, are you?”

“No, not at all. I didn’t hit flesh. I only trimmed his nails for him, that’s all. Rat nails are very valuable, boy.”

The bearded old man then pocketed the rat nails before returning the rat back into the blanket with the others. He gently placed the blanket on the ground, then began waving his wand with similar chants as before. Soon the sheet was rustling, and rising from it were four creatures which grew larger and larger as their long front teeth shrunk and their claws became hooves. It was not long until four strong, towering horses with beautiful grey coats were standing on the ground around the blanket that once held four rodents.

Finn grinned and stared with wonder, then took a step forward to affectionately pet the snout of the closest horse.

“They look great, but why do we need horses? We have two in the stables.”

“Two wouldn’t be enough for that coach, and I figured they were exhausted enough from their work out in the fields. These rats have been lazing about in the warm house with plenty of food.”

Finn chuckled and couldn’t argue with that position. 

“Well, they sure clean up nicely.”

“Indeed. We don’t have much time to admire them, however. Hurry, I need a dog.”

Finn nodded his head when he remembered his good canine friend, Attia. She had helped him through so many chores and kept him wonderful company, even if she couldn’t speak, and he felt sentimental just by remembering their long happy hours spent together. “I know who to get.”

He ran to the stables, took a moment to pet the horses, then patted the rear end of the brown dog lazing in the corner.

“Attia? Attia, get up.”

The dog lifted her head with a yawn, then blinked up at Finn.

“Get up, Attia. We need to go somewhere.”

She took her time rising onto all four paws, then arched her back into a stretch before loyally following the animated steps of the human boy.

“I wonder what he has planned for you! You’re such a good girl; I hope whatever you get is nice,” Finn spoke while lovingly running his fingers through the fur at the top of her head.

The pair approached the man, and he ran his old fingers through his beard more as he walked around the dog, watching her from all angles. “This will be a bit more tricky, I must admit, but… yes, she will be gorgeous.”

Finn grinned and clutched his hands together with excitement.

The man took his knife and cut off a small lock of the dog’s silky brown hair, then he shut his eyes to focus and began muttering more chants. He thrusted his twisted wooden wand towards the dog, and a flash of light shone around her, which soon faded away to reveal a petite human girl with short locks of dark hair and beautiful amber eyes. On her body she wore an elegant and slim-fitting suit that shimmered with threaded gold, which she stared at in amazement while turning in circles.

“Here we go,” the old man spoke, “a coachwoman dressed in gold to steer a coach of silver.”

Finn stepped forward, and when he did so, the girl froze and watched him with startled eyes. “What happened? I’m taller and I can speak and my fur is gone and I’m wearing clothes? How- what?”

Finn excitedly gestured to the old short man beside him. “Attia, this man has enchantments that can transform anything into anything. He turned a pumpkin into a coach, rats into horses, and you into a… well, a human! Isn’t it fantastic?”

The girl stared ahead towards Finn, speechless, until she finally lowered her gaze and raised her hands. She watched how her dark fingers folded and stretched upon command, then rushed forward to pull Finn into a tight hug. She cheered and laughed while jumping around with him in her arms, then finally grinned up at him. Her dark cheeks were rosy and warm. “I’m a human, Finn! Just like you! 

Finn laughed and cheered with her, joining her in her bounces. “You’re a human! You’re a human, Attia!”

The two twirled and hugged and shouted until they were finally forced to separate from a sparkling flick of the old man’s magic wand.

“As much as I love merriment and cheer, we must continue. We don’t have much time.”

“Much time?” Attia whispered aside towards Finn. “For what?”

“We’re going to the ball,” he answered in a similar whisper.

Attia gasped. “The ball?! We’re going to the ball?!”

Finn could practically still see the tail wagging behind her.

“Hush!” the old man ordered with a grumble.

The pair instantly obeyed and became silent.

“Now, what to fix next is...” the man spoke while watching Finn, “your suit.”

To this, Finn excitedly bounced once onto the balls of his feet and then back down.

“For this, I’ll be taking your shoes,” the man explained.

Finn was compliant and bent down to remove his brown shoes with golden buckles. He slipped them off, then handed them to the bearded man who stuffed them away into the bag on his back.

The man walked closer and tapped his wand across Finn’s shoulders and chest, back and hips, and the sides of his legs, taking careful measurements in his head. He then tapped it upon Finn's forehead, and in a shower of shimmering sparkle, the yellow rags were replaced by a glistening new suit that shone with iridescent blue hues. At new angles the material shone new shades, and on his feet he wore shoes with a similar shine.

Attia stared, speechless and amazed.

“Woah,” he gasped out. “Is this all made out of glass?” It certainly appeared to be.

“The fabric is threaded with little fibers of glass, yes. They’re small enough to flex around, and they bend and reflect the hues of the blue silk.”

“And the shoes? Are they glass too?” Finn inquired.

To this, Gildas chuckled and shook his head. “What kind of fool would dance in glass shoes? That’s absolutely absurd. They would cut your heels and shatter on the first step. No, these shoes are made from crystal. Crystal is far more sturdy and soft, and it has more fractals to change color and light- a much better alternative to glass. I also added cushioning on the inside. Your feet will never get sore.”

Finn grinned as he admired them, then returned his attention to the small elder. “Thank you. I love them. I love it all.”

The old man smiled back, then clapped his hands. “Well, everything is set! You should be off to the ball now.”

In the excitement of everything, Finn nodded his head and turned to step into the coach with Attia at his side. While she opened the door and held his hand to help him step up, she spoke softly. “You look so dashing, Finn. You look like a prince.”

“Thank you, Attia. You look lovely as well.”

Attia smiled more as she shut the door behind him and climbed to the front of the coach to take the reins into her hands.

Just then Finn remembered. “Wait! I forgot- the invitation. I need an invitation.”

“Ah, that’s right. Of course.” Gildas laughed as he took an old maple leaf from beneath the snow, then clipped off its stem to put into his pocket. With a cold and strong breath from his lungs, he coated it in a new and thicker layer of frost, and soon it shaped into a perfect white parchment of rectangular paper. On it were inscribed the same words Finn remembered reading before. It looked exactly like the same invitation Sia and Caspar had received. The man handed it to Finn through the window of the coach door.

“Now hurry! The spell will break at the last stroke of midnight, and everything will return as it once was. You don’t have much time. You must be away from sight when the spell breaks, else you will be seen and caught as an indentured servant. We don’t want that to happen, of course.”

Finn smiled, then reached down from the window to pat the man’s head. “Don’t worry; I’ll be safe. Thank you so much for everything.” As the coach lurched forward from the strength of the horses and began to slowly roll away, Finn remembered to ask, “what is your name? You never told me.”

“My name is Gildas.”

“Thank you, Gildas. I’ll always remember you for this. If you ever come back to visit, I’ll show you my gratitude. Thank you.”

And thus, the silver coach carrying the crystal boy was pulled towards the palace by four grey horses and steered by a golden coachwoman.


	4. Chapter 4

The palace hall was merry with the voices of countless guests. Lords and ladies from far across the land gathered here to celebrate the sixteenth birthday of the beloved Princess Claudia, who lingered by the eastern patio doors with a tall blond companion at her side.

She spoke coolly as she twirled a glass of white wine in her dainty hand. “And so then I said to the steward-”

“Have you seen the colors on Lady Teresa’s gown?” The blond shamelessly interrupted her with a small chuckle under his breath. “She looks awful!”

Claudia sighed. “Keiro, for a prince, you are terribly mannered.” She was referring to both the interruption and the insult.

“But you must agree with me! That gown and its colors makes her look like a jester!” He now had a wide grin across his lips and was beginning to laugh louder.

To Prince Keiro’s laughter, Claudia could not help but giggle a bit herself. Her friend had a charm that made his amusement contagious, no matter how improper. “Okay, perhaps you’re right…”

The two royal friends were now laughing together, and as it died down, Keiro took in a deep breath of air and decided to say, “ah, please excuse me, I’ll be right back.” While he said this, he turned to leave towards the spread of snacks and beverages.

Before he could leave, however, Claudia grabbed his arm and asked, “Where are you going?”

“I’m off to get a drink,” he answered.

“No, Keiro. No drinks for you. You become absolutely unmanageable when you’re drunk. Remember last time, when you stripped off your shirt and wandered through my gardens, challenging any servant that passed to a duel?”

He gave out a crooked smile while remembering. “I made that one launder maid faint from fright, hehe.”

“I don’t want you hollering and dancing on the staircase like an animal on my birthday, Keiro.”

“Well, Princess, since you said that so nicely, and it is your special day, I’ll oblige.”

Claudia let out a relieved breath of air. “Thank the heavens.”

* * *

The front of the palace was silent, long past the hour when carriages and coaches had delivered hoards of bustling guests. Attia slowed her own coach to a halt with a “woah there!” and a gentle pull on the reigns. The grey horses obeyed and stopped the silver vehicle, and Attia then nimbly jumped down from her seat to open the door for Finn.

His eyes were sparkling and his grin was massive as he gazed upon the blue and white brilliance of the palace. He hadn’t even reached the inside yet, and he already felt light from giddiness. He gripped Attia’s golden gloved hand with his own silver, then hopped down from the coach while whispering, “Just look at it, Attia…”

“It’s like a dream," she agreed with him.

“I wish you could join me. We'd have so much fun together, you know.”

She blushed to this, then shyly nodded her head. “Yes, I know. But I would never be accepted past the gates.”

“I could try insisting to the guards.”

She shook her head. “I’d rather not stir the trouble. I hate attention.”

He ruefully gave a lopsided smile, then hugged her once. “Stay here, then, and wait for me. I’ll make sure to tell you all about it when I get back.”

“Sneak me some pastries too, will you?” She laughed.

“Of course.”

And so with that, he turned and left towards the grand staircase, making a long ascent into the warmth of the palace. He uneasily glanced aside to the lined guards as he traveled through the corridors, and he presented the enveloped invitation to the men stationed to guard the doorway entering the hall. They bowed their heads with respect- something Finn was far from accustomed to- then opened the doors for him to pass through.

Since he was so late, there were no trumpets or announcements to declare his arrival. He entered in an air of peace and quiet, then made his way down the steps. The first thing he made sure to do was locate his mistress and her obnoxious son. He wanted to maintain as much distance from them as he could all evening long.

He spotted them standing in the left side of the hall, chattering with some stuffy looking nobles, and so Finn turned and entered the right side of the hall.

* * *

“See any maidens here that pique your fancy, Keiro?” Claudia asked behind her glass of white wine.

“Mmm… No, not quite,” he answered while watching the crowd like a cat.

“No? That's funny; you always have a maiden or two on your arms. It’s quite uncharacteristic of you to be so uninterested.”

The blond prince shrugged. “Maybe I’m beginning to search for something more…”

“Than a ditsy smile and a tiny waist?” she laughed.

“Than an attachment that lasts only a night or two,” he corrected, now less amused with the direction this conversation was heading towards.

Claudia slowly lowered her glass, watching the new look in her friend. “That…- is that so?”

He nodded, his golden ponytail bouncing along with his head.

“I’m impressed, Keiro. That’s very… respectable.”

He gave a small hum of appreciation from his friend’s praise, then continued watching the room.

* * *

Finn kept his eyes on Sia and Caspar as he maneuvered between the crowd, trying hard to not bump into anyone. In his head he prayed repeatedly that neither would turn and see him. If he were caught, he would surely be punished beyond anything he had ever experienced before. The fear of being discovered mixed with the thrill of doing the dangerous put a nauseating buzz in his stomach.

* * *

Claudia spoke to Keiro as he watched the movement of the people before them, but he couldn’t care enough to listen to her. He was too absorbed in the images of his own mind. Thoughts of past lovers and affairs eventually wandered to memories of past friends, and just as those recollections began, a distinctive sight presented itself between the shoulders and heads of the people.

Keiro saw familiar waves of brown hair, and a shimmering glint of iridescent blues.

His similarly blue eyes were flown open wide, and soon he was rushing forward to meet the familiar individual as he neared the back of the room. Claudia shouted after him as he sped away, but she chose not to follow.

* * *

Finn walked towards the spread of snacks and beverages. He refused to drink the champagne for the sake of keeping his head clear, but he figured that a few breads in his stomach might ease his nerves.

After taking some biscuits into his mouth and pouring himself a glass of water, he then turned and saw a pair of piercing blue eyes, freezing him in place with their stare. He gazed back, then slowly raised his own brown eyes to see the shining gold circlet around the blond’s head.

Finn panicked, realizing the older boy before him was royalty, and he dropped his glass of water onto the tiled floor while choking on a biscuit. The royal before him stepped closer with a concerned expression, visibly ready to assist Finn’s coughing, but it was soon over. Finn let out a final gasp of air.

“Y-you, you’re…” he spoke with a wheeze.

Finn’s surprise must have been flattering to the taller boy’s ego, for a confident smirk bloomed across his lips. “-Prince Keiro of Germany. You recognize me?” An angular eyebrow was now raised above his inquisitive eyes.

“Well, no,” Finn sheepishly admitted, “but you’re wearing a crown, so…”

He should have kicked himself for how stupid he was sounding.

“Ah, so you don’t recognize me.” The prince’s confidence was replaced by a disappointed look on his handsome face.

“No, please forgive me.”

Finn then shamefully looked down on the ground, and there he finally saw the mess he made of the glass cup. He immediately dropped onto his knees and began picking up the broken shards while the blond prince watched curiously.

“I’ve never seen a nobleman clean his own messes before. That’s a lower job for servants, you know.” Keiro spoke in a confused voice.

“Yes, that’s why I-” Finn silenced himself before he could say more. “I would just feel better if I did it myself. I’m the one who made it, after all.”

After the shards were collected, Finn rose back onto his feet and held the broken pieces in his hands, gentle enough to prevent cuts.

Seeing that Finn had nowhere to put the shards, Keiro took a leather pouch from beneath his red coat and held out his white gloved hand. He offered to take the glass from the brunette by saying, “I’ll keep them until I find a place to dispose them."

Finn smiled his appreciation, then transferred the sharp white glass to Keiro’s hand. “Thank you.”

“So,” the blond prince spoke while returning the leather pouch to his inside coat pocket, “what is the name of my new acquaintance?”

To this question, Finn nervously peered across the hall to where Sia and Caspar were still chatting. He chewed on his lip while contemplating how he should carefully answer. “I, um… I don’t want to share my name, but I don’t want to lie to you either.”

He knew he could. Being a servant in a ruthless household for so many years made him an awfully skilled liar. But lying to a royal, and one that had shown him such respect, seemed to conflict with his conscious.

The handsome prince leaned closer while raising an eyebrow. “Why do you not want to share your name? Is there trouble you’re trying to avoid?”

Finn exhaled a small breath of relief. It seemed Keiro understood.

He nodded. “A lady and her son. I can’t let them know I’m here.”

* * *

 Keiro’s brows lowered deep as his muscles began to tense. It frustrated him to know that there were other guests at this celebration who were causing trouble for this seemingly harmless nobleman. He suddenly found himself wanting to shelter this companion, and so he took another step closer and spoke in a hushed voice heard by no one else. “Who are you avoiding? I can help.”

He saw a bit of pink bloom across tan cheeks, and there was a moment when he could see that the other boy was tossing his options back and forth across his mind.

With a nervous breath, he answered, “Lady Sia and her son Caspar, the Earl of Steen.”

The pink faded from the smaller boy’s face when Keiro returned their distance, and Keiro now spoke in a bitter voice. “I’ve known those two since I was young. They really are a miserable pair of bloody snakes, aren’t they?” He glanced over his right shoulder, then left, and he didn’t wait for the boy to respond before taking his silver-gloved hand and leading him away. “Come with me. I know where we can go.”

Keiro took the boy across the hall, making sure to shield him from the gazes of his enemies with his larger build. When they successfully maneuvered across the room, Keiro passed through two doors with shimmering blue still at his scarlet side.

When they were finally in the seclusion of the white corridors, Keiro held the boy closer with a hand wrapped securely around his waist. They walked onward, and when the muffled music and voices of the hall began to fade, a gentle voice asked, “Is this okay? Are we allowed to leave?”

Keiro snickered, then answered, “I don’t follow rules very well, and besides: I’ve always been close to the royal Arlex family. They trust me in their home.”

For the first time since their meeting, Keiro heard the boy let out a small laugh. It did funny things to the heat pooling in his stomach.

“Something tells me that trusting you in their home wasn't their wisest decision.”

Keiro smirked and chuckled along with him. “And what gives an idea like that?”

Instead of answering the question, the boy asked a new one. “Where are you taking me, exactly?”

“The princess owns a garden which I think you’ll appreciate, and it’s quiet and away from the guests you’re trying to avoid.”

When they reached the gardens, Keiro silently thanked Claudia in his thoughts for leaving the fountain on. As the centerpiece, it truly made the yard appear more magical.

The boy pried himself from the protective hold of Keiro, then took a small stroll through the bright flowers while gasping with wonder. “It’s so beautiful,” he uttered softly.

Keiro gave a crooked grin while following the boy, then asked, “Will this be a good place to hide for some time?”

The boy turned to half-way face Keiro again, and the way the stars sparkled in his dark eyes sent shivers down Keiro’s spine.

“Yes, thank you. Thank you for everything.”

But then there was a sad, almost disappointed look on his face, and so Keiro stepped forward. “What’s wrong?”

The boy let out a breath, then shared, “I’m disappointed with myself. I finally got here, and I was so excited, but… then I was so scared I let them ruin it all. I still won’t be able to experience the party because of them.”

When he leaned against the limestone base of a garden sculpture and miserably dropped his head, Keiro approached him. It took Keiro a few brief moments to gather his courage, but he was ultimately compelled by his usual boldness and the boy’s sad face to put both hands on the small waist and offer, “Maybe you can still experience it?”

The boy’s pink face rose to meet Keiro’s, and at that moment the handsome blond prince stepped back to grandly bow and offer his hand. “Would you honor me with this dance, my lord?” He waited before he opened his eyes and grinned at the boy, then added, “you can even lead if you want.”

Round lips stuttered before shyly explaining, “I don’t know how…”

“Then I’ll lead.”

* * *

Finn felt a strong grip around the small of his back and at his own hand. He was gracefully swept around the yard in a waltz led by Keiro. They were pressed snugly against each other, chest to chest, where glass blue met velvet red.

Finn occasionally stumbled, never having a minute of experience in dancing for as long as he could remember. He was relieved that Keiro was able to lead so well, and was also relieved to find that the crystal shoes never once provided any discomfort or pain. Finn was able to dance through the evening with relative ease.

While they danced, Keiro hummed along to the distant and faint compositions, which he had evidently memorized by now. His baritone voice was a beautiful blend of crescendos that rumbled deep in his chest and tickled against Finn, causing the smaller brunette boy to smile. He would have hummed along if he too had the melodies memorized.

When Keiro lifted his hand to twirl Finn was when the scene around them seemed especially whimsical. Finn would gracefully spin once, twice, sometimes even three times before being dizzily pulled back into the prince's warm hold.

At some time in the dance, when Keiro was staring at Finn’s face with entranced blue eyes, he raised a brow and asked, “Will you be sharing your name with me, now that we’re alone?”

Finn pursed his lips in a tight line, feeling guilt from the way he had to shake his head left and right. “I don’t think I should. I’m sorry.”

Keiro waited before slowing the dance and leaning forward to press his forehead against Finn’s. “But then how will we meet again?” He asked in a whisper, despite no one else being in the garden to hear.

Finn’s eyes opened wide as a red warmth bloomed across his cheeks, and he found himself suddenly unable to meet Keiro’s stare. He turned his gaze left to look at the white roses, then right to look at the violets. “I’m sure a prince like yourself wouldn’t care to meet someone like me again,” he mumbled, just barely clear enough to hear.

While his gaze was turned, Finn felt a warm nose pressed against his cheek. “Why not?” Keiro asked, his voice still in a soft hush. “I find you fascinating…” Blue eyes began to close as the tall blond leaned forward to meet his lips with Finn’s.

But the sudden affection was too much for Finn, and he jumped back and out of Keiro’s arms from shock. His face glowed darker as he began to bashfully stumble over his words. “W-well, even if we were to meet again, there are other ways than through names. Like Juliet Capulet said, 'what’s in a name?’ Right?”

How he, a servant with no time to read, was able to remember the highly respected literary figure and her words was beyond his recollection.

Keiro stared with his arms still spread open and empty while Finn nervously smiled. The blond waited, then took more steps forward to meet Finn’s proximity once again. He didn’t pull him into another hold, but simply brushed his brown wavy bangs out of his face and away from his eyes. “Very well. You don’t have to tell me your name if it doesn’t feel safe. I’ll get other ways to find you again.”

Finn visibly shuddered from that promise, then offered another nervous smile as the prince dipped down.

Keiro finally pressed his lips against Finn’s, and they met in a tender kiss which bloomed with warmth and energy. The first kiss faded away into another, then another, and then another. Careful fingers brushed gently along cheeks and jaws as the two pairs of lips refused to part. The mouths danced harmoniously against each other- with each other- and wandering hands kept the rhythm.

Finn hummed happily in the string of passionate kisses. Everything just seemed too fantastical to be real. He had met a sorcerer, was given a suit of fine glass with shoes of crystal, and a handsome prince now had him in his arms and was kissing him with devotion. This must have been some kind of beautiful dream.

Suddenly, as a reminder that all dreams must end, the clocktower began its first midnight toll. Finn pulled away from the kisses with a gasp, then frantically looked towards the tower.

“Oh no!” He had lost track of time. “I-I have to go! Right now!”

“Surely it can wait?” Keiro asked while pushing his face forward to capture Finn’s lips once again. When Finn refused to join their faces, Keiro decided to plant kisses along his jaw and neck instead.

Finn shivered and groaned, then shoved himself away from the infatuated prince when he heard the second toll of the tower. “No, I really must go!”

Keiro, now understanding that the object of his desires was slipping away, reached out to seize Finn’s wrist in his grasp. “How can I meet you again?” He fearfully asked.

Finn breathlessly looked around, finding the path from which the two had entered the garden. He rushed there when he finally located it, all while stammering, “I’m not sure. I’d like to see you again, but I don’t know how. I’m sorry, but I really need to go.”

Finn’s hand then slipped from the prince’s grasp, and he ran ahead through the corridors and across the grand hall, then out of the palace’s front doors. The entire time he ran, he heard the shouts of the troubled blond prince behind him, and they grew more distant the more he progressed forward.

There were only two more tolls left by the time Finn was rushing down the front steps. He was relieved to see his coach pulled up and ready to leave, but this relief soon ended when a clumsy foot slipped on the grey stone. Forward he fell, down the steps, as the second to last toll sounded out. He could feel his shoulders and legs bruising with each tumble he took, and on the last fall his head hit the ground. He could just barely hear the last toll above the harsh ringing in his ears, and there were the muffled shouts of a worried Attia above him.

The last thing he could remember before fainting was the sensation of air rushing over him, and two arms heaving under his pits and dragging him away through prickly grass.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day was as cold and drab as any other winter day. Claudia was in the east-wing sunroom, enjoying a hot cup of tea, when a loud trail of steps were heard coming from the corridor beyond the wall.

Suddenly the door flew open, and Keiro came in. He was pale-faced, and he stared at her with dark eyes.

Claudia flinched at his disheveled state, then put her cup down. “Keiro? You look awful. What happened? Did you not sleep well?”

He walked forward to sit in the chair before her, then rested his elbows on the iron table and rubbed his tense face. “I didn’t sleep at all,” he finally answered with a groan.

Claudia raised a thin brow, then tilted her head. “What’s troubling you?” she inquired further.

He spoke in a shaky breath. “I met someone last night.”

“And that’s bad?”

Keiro seemed to change the topic by asking, “Do you remember Giles- the little noble boy who would visit and play with us when we were children?”

Claudia could not understand how the two subjects were related, but she answered Keiro’s question anyways. “We all used to pretend we were knights slaying a dragon. We whacked sticks against the big oak tree in my garden.”

Keiro smiled at the memory, then nodded his head and ran his fingers through his messy golden hair.

“I think I saw him again last night, Claudia.”

* * *

When Finn finally came to his senses again, he was laying in a frosted bed of grass, and his head was rested on a warm lap. He turned with a groan, then finally sat up and rubbed his head. It throbbed with pain.

“We need to go home now,” a voice behind him declared.

Finn turned and saw that Attia was kneeling behind him, her hands obediently folded on her lap. She remained a human, but she no longer wore her slimming suit of gold. Instead, she wore brown rags tied up in a dress across her body.

Then something sharp pained Finn’s head again.

“Home…” he mumbled between dry lips. It was a strange sounding word that carried new weight in his conscience.

And then everything came to him.

His mind suddenly flooded with memories. All the years from before came back in only an instant.

He remembered being dressed in expensive clothes, he remembered riding a grey horse along a trail, and he remembered eating off of delicate china.

He gazed, horrified, down at the torn yellow fabrics on his body. Shock turned to dismay, and dismay turned to frustration, and frustration turned to anger.

He clenched his hands into tight fists, then spoke in a low voice. “Yes, let’s go home.”

He suddenly rose from the ground, and upon doing so he felt an unusual sense of clunkiness on one of his two feet. He looked down, and on his left foot he saw there was a crystal shoe remaining. He reached down and picked it up, admiring the fractals, then he hugged it close to his chest and whispered, “Thank you, Gildas.”

As he marched away with his head down, Attia curiously rose an eyebrow and stood to follow him.

* * *

“What do you mean you saw him last night? Giles died in a riding accident three years ago.”

The blond prince slammed his fist onto the iron wrought table, then groaned loudly as his fingers tugged at his bangs. It was clear that exhaustion was taking its toll on him. “I know! I know. But I… I swear it was him. He had the same face, the same hair, everything. He looked identical.”

“It may have only been a coincidence. What do you Germans call it- doppelgängers?” Claudia hated seeing her friend so distraught, but she truly could not wrap her mind around any other possibility.

“No, Claudia, you don’t understand.” She knew she didn’t. “He couldn’t give me his name.”

“So?”

“And he looked terrified- paranoid.” Keiro swallowed a lump of anxiety down his throat. “Claudia, he was specifically avoiding Sia, the lady of the Harvaarna estate.”

To this new information, Claudia froze and felt her pulse begin to race. “Oh dear Sapphique...”

* * *

Finn stopped for nothing during his march home, more determined than ever to reach the place. Attia had difficulty keeping at his heels.

“You’re acting strange,” Attia shared her observation. “There’s something wrong- I can sense it. And why haven’t you spoken at all about the ball? I thought you would have been excited to tell me about it.”

Her friend shared nothing, so she prompted further, “You can tell me, Finn, whatever it is. Maybe I can even help?”

He let out a rough breath and closed his eyes for a moment, then finally shared his troubles. “When I fell down the steps and hit my head, I got my memories back.”

Attia bit her lip with concern. “Were they bad memories, then?”

He shook his head. “No, most of them were good.”

“So then what’s the issue?”

The corners of Finn’s eyes began glistening with faint beginnings of tears, but they never left his eyes. “You’ll find out soon.”

* * *

Claudia walked with Keiro to the stables, and together the duo saddled up their own horses. Claudia selected a horse with a chestnut coat, and Keiro selected one of black.

“Follow me,” the princess ordered as she steered her horse out of the stables. “I know where the Harvaarna estate is.”

And so the black horse followed chestnut, through the cobblestone streets and smaller homes. Together they rode towards the house that once stood as Giles’ home.

* * *

When the brunette boy and his tiny friend approached the estate by foot, he glared up at the building and sneered. It was a new boldness in him that Attia had never seen before.

They reached the front doors, but before they entered the building, Finn turned to Attia and addressed her with an aura of uneasiness. “I think I want you to wait and stay outside.”

To this, Attia parted her lips and frowned, frantically shaking her head. “What? No, I’m your friend! Don’t shut me out- I want to be there and help against whatever you’re about to face.”

“If you really want to help,” Finn countered, “then you should stay outside. I need someone here, out of sight, in case things go badly.”

Attia bit her lip, then loyally nodded her head. His request made more sense with that explanation, but she still did not know what was going through Finn’s head, and she was still so uncertain if this was wise.

So Finn hugged her once, then finally drew in a deep breath before entering the house.

When he did so, he was immediately greeted with the shrieks of his red-haired mistress. She stood in the doorway between the foyer and living room, and she gawked at him with furious eyes. “There you are!” Sia shouted. “Where have you been? You have so many chores to do, and I never gave you permission to leave the property.”

“Shut up!” Finn suddenly roared, causing the pale woman to flinch. He continued to shout at her as her son came to stand behind her, bemused and curious. “Just shut up! Shut up! Shut up!”

She huffed out a breath of air and brought her hand to her chest, then defensively spoke. “Why, who do you think yo-”

“Lord Giles Ferdinand Alexander Havaarna, that’s who.”

And then the house fell silent. The quiet ate away into many moments, until finally the furious brunette boy stormed forward to stand before Sia, glaring at her with all the hate in his soul.

“You foul witch,” he spat into Sia’s air, “you married my father, and after he died, I fell from my horse and lost my memories. You took advantage of that, and you decided to set me up as a miserable servant. All the times you had me scrubbing floors, I should have been eating cake. When you had me washing the laundry, I should have been dancing with royalty. When you had me ploughing the garden, I should have been singing in halls and playing the harpsichord. These past three years- wasted! How could you?! I should have been-”

Sia suddenly interrupted Giles’ ranting by grabbing his arm and twisting him around by its hold. He gasped out in pain, and she hissed into his ear, “You brat! I should have just gone ahead and killed you when I had the chance.”

Then there was a loud knock at the door, and Sia turned gravely quiet.

She growled with frustration, then turned away and dragged Giles with her. “Nevermind,” she whispered. “I’ll take care of you later.”

Giles was taken by his twisted arm to the basement that was once his bedroom and was now his prison. She kicked him down the stairs, then slammed the door shut when he finally reached the floor.

Giles ran back up the steps and discovered the door was locked. He slammed his hands against the wood panels, and he tried screaming and shouting out to anyone who may help. Much to his dismay, he earned no response. Weak and defeated, he slumped against the door and cried out an agonized groan.

* * *

Attia was now circling the estate, looking for any sign of her friend inside. She grew more and more worried, but then remembered that a window was constructed by the stables, and it gave access to Finn’s semi-underground bedroom.

She wandered to that place and peered through the glass panel, then she saw Finn at the top of the staircase and leaned against the door. He looked awful.

She tapped the glass to get his attention, and she could tell he heard it by the way he rose his head. He looked over his shoulder at the window, and when he saw Attia, he wiped his eyes and crossed the room to meet her. He slid open the panel, then spoke to her through the open air between them.

“You need to help me,” he pleaded. “I need to get out of here.”

“What happened?” Attia gasped.

“I told her I remembered being Giles, the lord of this house, and so she locked me in here. She plans to kill me, Attia!”

Attia’s body trembled with panic, then she reached her hands out to the window. “Try climbing through!” she suggested. “I’ll pull you out.”

Giles tried doing so, but his shoulders and head could not fit through the small window. With a loud grunt he was forced to drop back down into the musty darkness of the basement.

“There needs to be another way…” Attia whimpered.

Giles thought for a moment, then gathered an idea. “All the doors in this house use the same key mold! There are copies in the master bedroom- the room just two floors above me right now. Climb there, grab a key, come back here, and hand it to me.”

Attia grinned to Giles’ plan, then nodded her head. She rushed off, and with an anxious breath of air, she gazed up at the height of bricks she would soon have to climb.

* * *

Claudia and Keiro waited a few minutes after knocking on the front doors of the estate, then saw the entrance finally open. They were greeted by a grinning Sia, who immediately seemed elated to have the two royals on her property. Behind her, they could see her son Caspar, running up the steps to the upper floors.

“O-oh my!” she cheered with a polite bow. “What brings such honored guests to my home?”

“We came to search your house,” Keiro bluntly answered, causing Claudia to frown her lips with frustration. Diplomacy was certainly never one of his strong suits.

“There are some things in this area that are concerning to us,” Claudia skillfully explained, “and we just want to have a quick look around.”

The red haired madam paused, but ultimately stepped aside to grant the royal pair admission to her home. “Of course, welcome! Come in, come in.”

When the two stepped inside, they noticed the grand differences between the house’s current look and how they remembered it as children. It seemed Lady Sia completely redesigned the place with tacky colors and decor when she gained ownership of the property.

As she led the two into the main living room, she offered, “Would you like me to get anything for you? Macaroons, perhaps, or a spot of tea?”

Both royals shook their heads.

Then they heard a faint thump that shook the floors beneath their feet.

Everyone paused, and Sia gave a forced giggle. “Oh, those pesky rats! They can be so noisy!”

* * *

When Attia returned with a key in her hands, she looked through the window and saw Giles was trying to slam his fists against the door again to capture attention. When there was finally a moment of quiet, Attia spoke. “I got the key for you.”

Giles turned and gasped at the news. He rushed across the basement, then reached through the window to take the key from Attia's hands. “Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!”

He wasted no time going to unlock the door, but before he opened it and left, he decided to take his broom from the side of his bed, and he gripped it firmly in his hands.

* * *

“So,” Keiro proceeded to inquire, “have you had any guests recently? Besides us, I mean.”

Claudia wanted to strangle him for his brashness.

“Mmm,” Sia thoughtfully pouted her lips. “Nope, we haven’t.”

Keiro raised a brow. “And no one lives here besides you and your son?”

Claudia anxiously tapped her hand against the gown above her thigh.

“No, absolutely no one.”

And then there was a sound in the hallway beyond.

It seemed like a door being forced open and slammed shut, and feet pattering from it.

Everyone’s heads turned to see a scraggly looking boy, dressed in torn and dirtied clothes and breathing heavy with rage. He stood in the doorway between the living room and main hallway, gripping a broom tightly in his hands.

Sia opened and closed her mouth over and over, like a speechless fish.

“You evil bitch!” the brunette boy howled as he ran forward and rose the broom to slam it across Sia’s head and send her to the ground.

But after two more blows to the toppled woman, Claudia rushed forward to stop the enraged boy.

“Giles, stop it! Stop!” she cried.

“Why should I?!” There were now hysterical tears rolling down his cheeks. “She ruined me! She made me nothing and worked me numb for three whole years!”

Claudia stood clueless between Giles and Sia. She didn’t understand yet what he was talking about, but she tried calming him with the words, “We’ll take care of her. We’ll see justice served, trust me.”

Giles stood, frozen and watching Claudia, and he finally nodded his head and stepped back. Sia groaned and rubbed her head, and it was at that time when her son came running down the stairs with worry. Caspar wailed out, “Mother!” when he saw Sia beaten on the ground, then went to join her side, kneeling on the floor.

And the excitement did not end there. After delivering the key, Attia went to get help, and she came back to the house with three officers at her side. Attia hugged Giles, relieved to find him safe, and the officers bounded Sia and Caspar by their wrists and led them away to prison.

When Attia was finished with her hug, Keiro then stepped forward to finally take his turn greeting Giles. The two watched each other for many moments, until Keiro finally reached into his coat and removed from it a beautiful crystal shoe. “I found this on the palace steps,” he explained. “I thought you might want it back.”

Giles smiled, then took the shoe from Keiro’s hands before removing a similar shoe from the belt around his waist. They were finally reunited, and Giles stepped into them before reaching forward to grab Keiro’s shirt. With a grin, he pulled him down into an appreciative kiss.

* * *

It did not take long for things to finally fall right again. Giles regained his estate, honoring the will left by his deceased father. The house was returned back to its original modest design, and Attia was happy to remain living there at her friend’s side.

Sia and Caspar were arrested for tampering with official documents, staging the death of a noble, subjecting an individual to servitude without legal indenturement, and plotting murder. Since most of these crimes were committed by Sia, not Caspar, he was free to live out his life outside of prison. Sia, however, never escaped iron bars.

Keiro soon had to return to his home and citizens in Germany. He said goodbye to his friends and newly obtained lover, but he swore to visit frequently. Between these visits, Finn would travel often to see the prince in his luxurious castle. There he would stay for many weeks, smothering the blond royal in love and affection, before having to return home.

After three years of this trade, back and forth, the two men finally joined in marriage. The celebration was massive, lasting a full week and delighting the thousands of guests who visited from far and wide, across many lands.

And so, as it goes, goodness in the world prevailed, and all lived happily ever after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading, and may you all have warm and happy holidays! <3


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